Final Paper – A Career Roadmap
In this final paper you will have the opportunity to pull together the different insights you have gathered about your future possible career path. Please keep in mind that your career is a journey and nothing that you have discovered is set in stone – but it is a very good place to start. So, this project should be a plan that sets you on this journey, knowing that you will always be growing and discovering. There will be three parts to your final paper as follows:
- Part I: In 3-4 paragraphs share the career specialization that you feel drawn to after the career exploration you have engaged in over the last three weeks. What about your interests, passions, and life experiences has led you to this specialization? In what ways do you feel this specialization will bring you satisfaction and fulfillment in addition to success? What specific job within this specialization would you like to further explore? Make sure to integrate insights and information you gained from your interview into this portion of your paper.
- Part II: Literature review – Using the sources that you summarized in week 2, write a 2-3 page literature review in which you synthesize the information you have learned from your sources about preparing for and working in this specialization. Please keep in mind that this portion of your paper is a review of the literature so there should be no personal opinion or experiences shared here, but rather a strict review of what was learned from your sources.
- Part III: Educational and training roadmap – You will conclude your paper with 1-2 paragraphs for which you will outline the education/training that is required for the above discussed job/specialization. Also if your career path will take you to a licensure position also include information from your state licensing board about the requirement to receive a license.
- It is required that your paper contain between 1000 and 1800 word count and cite at least four sources used for research. This paper counts 15% of your final grade.
- Your paper should be written in APA format and your sources should be properly cited and referenced. You can reference the APA formatting video found in Start Here. Please submit your paper as an attachment in Word document format (.doc or .docx).
Final Paper Grading Criteria Maximum Points Part I – 3-4 paragraphs covering insights gained, personal reflection, and integration of insights gained from interview. 30 Part II – 2-3 page literature review. 20 Part III – Educational and training roadmap 10 Proper APA format of citations and references. 20 Grammar, spelling, correct APA format and verified consult with OWL 20 Total: 100
It will be beneficial for you to read all of the pointers below:
Parenthetical (In-Text) Citations- A parenthetical (in-text) citation is when you place the source in parenthesis ( ) right after the sentence you cited instead of waiting until the end of the paper. It helps the reader to know exactly what sentences and paragraphs are taken from particular sources.
- Place the author’s name and the source’s date of publication in parentheses immediately after the end of the cited material. If it is a direct quote, include the page number as well. For example:
- “Psychology is defined as the science of behavior and mental processes” (Coon, 2012 p. 12).
- If you have paraphrased the information then you do not need to include the page number. For example: Psychology is a scientific field that specifically studies both mental processes and the associated behaviors (Coon, 2012).
Helpful Tips
- Always use spell and grammar check
- Make sure you indented the paragraphs (5 spaces in)
- Balance – Each paragraph should be similar in length
- Review the APA video and resource in Student Resources under Course Home
- You can send your paper to the Keiser OWL (Online Writing Lab) for review and to ask for help.